Tarsus IV Working title
by ShadoweGoddess
Summary: So this is just the beginning, it's short. If you have any title suggestions as the story goes on, give them to me! Anyways, it's a Tarsus story obviously, and its Spork.
1. Chapter 1

Tarsus IV. It was something he'd never wanted to hear again, no one, not even Spock knew what had happened there, no one even knew he was one of the Nine. He was sure that Bones has a suspsicion, but he'd never asked, and he'd never told. Shaking his head, he brought himself out of his musings, looking toward the view screen where Admiral Pike was broadcasted.

Giving Pike a look, he said, "What brought this on Admiral?" Wincing slightly Pike replied, "I know you don't want to go, hell, if I were you, I wouldn't want to go either. And I wasn't even there for any of what happened."

As soon as Pike said this, he paled as Kirk growled, "Thank you so much Admiral Pike, no one knew. As of now…. Sulu plot a course for the planet known as Tarsus IV," As soon as the words were out of his mother, he was up and out of the captains chair with nary a look to anyone on the bridge, let alone the view screen where Admiral Pike was still watching in horrified shock.

After he had left, the bridge crew looked to each other in shock, their captain…. Their captain was one of the nine survivors of Tarsus IV? He'd never even hinted at having experienced such a trauma. Almost as one unit, they all spun to look at Pike again.

Uhura was the first to break the silence, "Admiral… Why are we being sent to Tarsus? Especially if the Captain, OUR captain is one of the Nine?!"

From where she was standing it looked like Pike had some trouble swallowing, and with a wince he started explaining, "I had nothing to do with this. Those in the admiralty who don't approve of Jim's promotion to captain at such a young age… And those who just plain don't like him have managed to block all attempts to help him from those of us who like and approve of him. They're trying to break him," It was here he looked at them beseechingly with a waver in his voice, "I watched that boy grow up, don't you dare let him break. Do you hear me?"

Spock stepped forward and with a barely noticeable heat to his voice, "Admiral Pike, we will not let anything happen to our Captain. You need not ask that of us, for he is ours, and we are his. He will continue to captain this ship."

With a barely hinted at relieved sigh, Pike finally sent Spock to find the captain and bring him back to the bridge so that he could tell him more on what was needed when they finally reached Tarsus IV.


	2. Chapter 2

With a snarl as Spock reached him, Jim spun and lashed out with a leg that Spock easily evaded. Without any outward expression of surprise at his captain and bond-mate reacting violently to his presence he reached out and drew Jim into his embrace. With a sigh exhaled on a sob, Jim collapsed against Spock.

Lifting his captain's face to his, Spock gently kissed him while entangling their fingers in the Vulcan version of a kiss. Breaking away slowly, Spock rested his cheek on top of Jim's head, where he began the process of calming him down enough to take him back to the bridge.

"Come now my t'hy'la, Admiral Pike still has mission parameters he must go over with you along with the rest of the command crew, as much as I wish I could protect you from this… Perhaps it is time to face the past."

Jim gave him a look that conveyed just what he thought of that suggestion. Then with a groan he walked toward the turbo lift where he waited for Spock to join him. Tilting his head at Jim, Spock broke the silence between them once more, "T'hy'la, why did you never tell me you had been on Tarsus IV?"

"I never wanted to remember it... No one was ever supposed to know, my files and involvement in Tarsus IV is confidential, not just due to Starfleets orders, but my own doing."

"That is understandable, however, as your bond-mate, I wish I had known so that I could have helped you."

"I know, I should have told you. I just couldn't bring myself to show you or tell you, I couldn't relive it." Jim took a deep breath, it was time, and Bones knew a little, but not much. The only reason he even knew was because he was Jim's doctor. That and Bones had figured most of it out on his own. No one could ever accuse the good doctor of ever being oblivious… Purposefully oblivious, yes, such as when he and Spock had gotten together, Bones had ignored it for weeks! He'd kept on calling him a horrible hobgoblin, still did in all actuality. It was as if it was their way of reaffirming to each other that they would always both of them, care for him, he had always known they would. But it appeared as if they had to reassure one another, which confounded him. One was his best friend, the other was his soul mate.

"I…" Here Jim licked his lips nervously, "I sold my body for food, we had shelter deep in the woods, yet after the famine, very little on the planet was actually edible. So I bribed guards, I bribed them with my body. I was the oldest, I was the one they looked up to, the one who was supposed to care for them. I lost so many of them… Yet, I saved just as many! When we did the project in class about Tarsus IV… I refused to do it, the only way the teacher would let me get out of it… Well… It was with the help of one of the other Nine. I can't name which one. Just that he was older. I let Kodos have his way with me, knowing that I was saving those I'd sworn to care for. Most nights, since it was heading toward the winter season on the planet, we slept in a big puppy pile, arms and legs just tangled, you could never tell where one of us ended and another began. It was the way we preferred it!"

Spock just listened as Jim let everything pour forth, wiping away the tears that slid down his bond-mates cheeks. He was sure that Jim wasn't even aware of them, he just continued on as if in a trance. Spock wondered how long Jim had wanted to tell someone, yet never could because he never trusted anyone enough.

"When the ships came… I couldn't believe it at first. We'd been told that Starfleet had abandoned us! That they had more important things to take care of, that we were just colonists, nothing to be truly concerned about. That was why Kodos killed over half the population, aside from the fact that… Well he was a murderer and a pedophile anyway."

Spock drew him close, despite knowing the soon the turbo lift doors would be opening shortly. His bond-mate, his t'hy'la needed him more than their reputations needed saving. After all, this mission would reveal to all the Admirality that he and Jim were more than Captain and First Officer. They were mated. It was an unavoidable fact, something that those who opposed Jim could not challenge.

"Take deep breaths t'hy'la, wipe those tears. We are all hear for you. Do not fear. We will not abandon you. You are a survivor, we will ensure that you remain that way. What would we do without you? You have brought us all together, you are the glue that keeps us strong."

Jim did as he was told, he knew Spock was right. There was not changing the past, he would breath and move on. He had his family right here with him. He also had Admiral Pike on his side. He always had, no matter how much of an idiot he had been.


	3. Chapter 3

Without a trace of the fear that Spock had seen, he watched his Captain exit the turbo lift. As he walked down the short corridor to the bridge, he saw him gain confidence just from the knowledge that he would not be abandoned. They would stand by him as none had before.

Spock felt his lips twitch. He sent his love down the thin thread that connected him to Jim, watching as he shivered briefly before he returned the feeling. Spock reveled in the feeling for a few brief moments before he himself hurried after Jim. He needed to be briefed as well. There was no point in delaying the matter. He'd much rather be there when Jim was told all of the details. It always paid off to be prepared. So prepared he would be.

Admiral Pike began as soon as he was through the doors. Apparently he had waited until they were all there. In fact, Jim insisted that nothing be kept from his command crew. They deserved to know seeing as they worked with him day in and day out. As they heard what he had gone through, each made a silent resolution to keep him safe. They would give their lives for him if it meant he didn't have to suffer again.

Even if their dying brought to him suffering as well, it would not be for lack of trying. He deserved their love, all that they were. Uhura sighed as she stood stretching, ignoring the way all the men eyed her, including Pike. "Sir, I do have a question… What makes you think Kodos is alive?"

Here Pike looked at them all gravely, "He's been attacking the survivors of Tarsus. None of the Nine yet, but we have no doubt it will come soon. Jim is the only one that can do this… He's the only one of the Nine who has become a full-fledged Starfleet officer. There's literally no one else. All of the others are civilians, or in the Academy. I cannot pull them for this mission, that would compromise their identities as to the public."

Jim slowly nodded, he had figured as much. There wasn't a whole lot that could be done in all reality, they would go to where he had last been spotted and investigate, perhaps even follow some leads before heading to Tarsus IV to see if there were any signs of the damned man. "Yes sir. I understand sir. This is what you want us to do, just to be completely clear. You want us to investigate the satellite he was last seen at, see if anyone remembers the old asshole, he _is_ sort of hard to forget… As much of a zealot as he is… He was probably spewing something along the lines of I should have killed them all, the population was doomed anyway…" Here he trailed off noting the looks aimed at him. He just shrugged before continuing, "What? I lived with the asshole for way too damned long! Now, as I was saying… See if there are any clues there, if not move on to Tarsus and see if he is trying to recreate what happened there once more."

Pike looked at Jim, studying him for a few moments before he replied, "Yes Jim, that's exactly what we want you to do. However, do _not and I repeat, do not engage him_ if you find him! Leave that to us. Do you understand me James Kirk?"

Jim glared at him, anger coursing through his body. How could they ask that of him? To see the man who had killed so many of his friends, his aunt, his uncle… As he was starting to plot the way to kill Kodos himself without the Admiralty knowing just what had happened, he felt the cool and logical presence of Spock at the outer edges of his mind, cooling his anger to bearable levels. He sent his bond-mate a quick half exasperated half grateful grimace of a smile.

"Sir, yes sir. I'll do what I have to do to get you that information… Without killing Kodos." Jim could feel the bile rising in his throat, he swallowed it down. He was an adult now. He would not let Kodos rule his actions anymore, he was a Captain in Starfleet. Kodos would not win. Not now. He had too much to lose, too many people depending on him to stay strong, just as he had stayed strong for the children he had rescued.


End file.
